McCarthy: Stop and frisk ruling will not affect Chicago police

Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy says a ruling on New York City’s stop and frisk policy will not affect the way police operate in Chicago.

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For starters, McCarthy says there’s a lot of confusion over exactly what stop and frisk is. He says it’s not a New York City police department program.

“Stop and frisk is a tactic that every department in the country uses because we have to stop people when we’re going to arrest them. We have to frisk them if we’re in fear of a weapon being present, which endangers our safety,” McCarthy said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon at police headquarters. “I’m not sure what happened in New York where it came off the rails if it did come off the rails or if it’s something that’s being misinterpreted.”

On Monday federal U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled New York City’s stop and frisk policy was unconstitutional. The judge found that police often lacked reasonable suspicion to stop people and she found the policy was racially discriminatory. Scheindlin is not putting an end to the practice but is requiring reforms.

McCarthy says Chicago officers stop the right people at the right places for the right reasons and operate within the bounds of the constitution. McCarthy says all of Chicago’s stop and frisks are documented.